Advice for all interested in the Haas School of Business

business

Before you say anything: it’s okay to have opinions. It’s okay to change direction. You have four years to ponder the life that you will be living.

When I finally thought about college, it was the summer right before my senior year of high school. I had many interests, but I had to write down a list of all the majors I was going to consider; and boy was it a hefty one! Things like foreign language, design, neuroscience, and pharmacy were on all that list. Eventually, it came down to business and translation; the latter of which was my primary interest at the time. I thought about business primarily because my mother suggested it. I know, I should follow my own dreams and not my parents’. But I wanted to remain open to all possible paths, so I considered the idea. I eventually applied and chose Berkeley because of their business program in addition to its strengths in nearly every other program. I figured that if I changed my mind, Cal would have something else for me.

While Haas only has one major, Business Administration, students can still choose to specialize in their own time. According to Haas Employment information in the Berkeley Career Center, students go into consulting, investment banking, accounting, marketing, and financial and business analysis. If you check out the employment reports on that page, it gives you a consolidated view of the career paths of the Haas respondees.

With any career path, it is best to do three different things: obtain knowledge, get involved, and gain experience. You’ll need to know the rhetoric and jargon, and the best way to do that is to take classes (and focus) in that particular field. To get involved, there are plenty of other students who have paved that way for you in the form of organizations, so all you have to do is join and obtain hands-on experience. Obtaining internships is also another way have direct experience in employment.

Below, I have outlined different career paths, and show some classes and organizations that provide more knowledge and experience about the different areas.